• Borge Brende resigns as CEO of the World Economic Forum amid scrutiny over ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
• An independent review found no additional concerns regarding Brende's links to Epstein.
• Brende expressed gratitude for his colleagues but stated the need for the Forum to move forward without distractions.

Borge Brende, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF), announced his resignation on Thursday, following an independent investigation into his interactions with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Brende had held the CEO position since 2017 and stated in his resignation, “After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as president and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8½ years, has been profoundly rewarding,” according to Reuters.

The investigation was prompted by disclosures from the US Justice Department revealing that Brende had three business dinners with Epstein and had communicated with him via email and text messages. Despite the findings concluding that there were no additional concerns beyond previously disclosed interactions, Brende acknowledged in his statement that he was "completely unaware" of Epstein's criminal past, as reported by India Times and Channel News Asia.

Brende’s departure highlights the substantial scrutiny faced by various public figures regarding their associations with Epstein following the release of millions of documents by the US Justice Department. WEF co-chairs Andre Hoffmann and Larry Fink confirmed that Alois Zwinggi would serve as interim president and CEO during the transition, as noted by Le Monde and South China Morning Post.

Brende expressed gratitude for the collaboration with his colleagues and stressed the importance of allowing the Forum to proceed with its mission free from distractions related to his association with Epstein. He had previously stated that he regretted not investigating Epstein’s background more thoroughly before their interactions, according to Africanews and BBC.